SLPS operates under provisional accreditation from the state of Missouri and is under the governance of a state-appointed school board called the Special Administrative Board, although a local board continues to exist without legal authority over the district.
Since 2000, charter schools have operated in the city of St. Louis using authorization from Missouri state law.
In addition, several private schools exist in the city, and the Archdiocese of St. Louis operates dozens of parochial schools in the city, including parochial high schools.
Peter Verhaegen, SJ., was a key leader in building Catholicism in the West from his arrival 1823 to his death in 1853.
As the first Jesuit president of St. Louis College, he Americanized the Jesuits, created a curriculum to fit frontier needs, integrated the school into Catholic life, moved the school to a bigger campus, and established a medical department.